Congressman Cleaver reacts to Inspector General report on Bannister Complex
Kansas City, MO – Last February, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver joined Senators Bond and McCaskill in requesting the Inspector General of the General Services Administration (GSA), Brian Miller immediately begin an audit of GSA’s handling of public health and safety matters at the Bannister Federal Complex. The Inspector General delivered his report today to Congressman Cleaver and both Senators. In his letter of transmittal, Inspector General Miller says, “The enclosed audit report documents GSA’s history of lax management of environmental issues at the Bannister complex. GSA now appears to be taking the matter more seriously.”
The report states, “In response to employee concerns and various news reports, Public Buildings Service (PBS) has taken substantial steps to protect the health of the occupants of the Complex. These recent steps are encouraging, but prior to 2010, PBS did not maintain a strong environmental management curriculum that would have provided positive assurance that the space in the Complex was a safe and healthy work environment.”
Reacting to the report, Congressman Cleaver expressed concern over a history of dismissing employee concerns at the Complex. “Even though the Inspector General found that conditions at the Bannister Complex do not pose a threat to current employees, I am greatly concerned by the report’s conclusions that employees’ concerns were not taken seriously. The report also faults previous management of the facility for not filing the proper and required forms, misleading the public and government officials and mismanaging their environmental obligations. All of those faults are completely and utterly unacceptable,” said Congressman Cleaver.